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Scientific Biographies

Science is a human pursuit. Meet some of the people who have contributed to the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.
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Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier

This French chemist introduced the world to hydrogen and oxygen, terms that were at the heart of one of the hottest chemical debates of the 1700s.

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Detail of a French Philatelic First Day Cover commemorating the 2nd centenary of the birth of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, ca. 1943.
Science History Institute
Illustration of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier used on a French postage stamp

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sepia toned portrait of a man in coat and riding boots
Ignaz Semmelweis
1818 - 1865
Phillip Sharp
b. 1944
woman seated writing notes
Maxine Singer
1931 - 2024
color photo of a man with a baby on his shoulders
Calvin Ross Sperling
1957 - 1995
Albert sits on a chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his legs and hands clasped.
Albert Szent-Györgyi
1893 - 1986
Evangelina Villegas in a lab, ca. 1970.
Evangelina Villegas Moreno
1924(25) - 2017
James Watson and Francis Crick
James Watson
1928 - 2025
Maurice Wilkins with X-ray crystallographic equipment about 1954.
Maurice Wilkins
1916 - 2004
Robert Burns Woodward
1917 - 1979
Rosalyn Yalow
1921 - 2011
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